The present invention, in some embodiments thereof, relates to a method and system for mixing a fluid and, more particularly, but not exclusively, to a system and method to mix a low viscosity mixture of two immiscible liquids that, in some embodiments, may achieve high mass transfer rate and separability.
United States Patent Application 2007/0044824 to Capeci et al. discloses a processing system, a method of processing and products produced by said process. Such system and method can reduce change over time and/or of product quality.
United States Patent Application 2003/0152500 to Dalziel et al. discloses a high intensity, in-line rotor-stator apparatus to produce fine particles via antisolvent, reactive, salting out or rapid cooling precipitation and crystallization.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,884,894 discloses a fluid mixing element in which at least one helical shaft provided with at least one helical groove on an outer peripheral wall thereof throughout its length. The mixing element is inserted in a cylindrical passage tube provided with at least one helical groove on an inner peripheral wall thereof throughout its length. According to the mixing element of the invention, the fluid supplied into the mixing element flows partly along the helical groove formed in the passage tube and partly along the helical groove formed on the helical shaft to produce the turbulent mixing of the fluid in the mixing element. When the fluid flows through the helical grooves formed in the passage tube and on the helical shaft of the mixing element, the phase transfer is also carried out at planes perpendicular to the flow direction by inertia of the fluid. Accordingly, the fluid in contact with the helical grooves and the fluid out of contact therewith are replaced with each other in series. The mixing is further effected by division of the fluid in series at each of many contact portions of the passage tube and the helical shaft.
United States Patent Application 2010/0176063 to Kokotov et al. discloses a method and apparatus for separating immiscible liquids. Such method and apparatus may allow coalescing of relatively small-sized droplets into larger droplets for easing and improving the degree of separation thereafter. The method may be defined by a system of equations describing the requirements and conditions imposed on the kinetics of droplet breaking and coalescence as functions of properties of the involved liquids, involved energy, and means for inducing mixing energy into the mixture. According to the method, such means may include viscosity, interfacial tension, droplet diameter distribution, average droplet diameter, average volumetric droplet diameter, concentration of the dispersed liquid in the coalescing apparatus, restricting pressure of the electrostatic double layer surrounding the interfacial boundary of the droplets, and turbulent energy dissipation distribution per volume within the coalescing apparatus.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,413,429 to Breman et al. discloses a process and an apparatus for extracting a component dissolved in a liquid by means of liquid-liquid extraction using an extraction liquid which is immiscible or only partially miscible with the liquid, in which process the extraction liquid is dispersed in the liquid in a dispersion apparatus and then coalesced in a coalescer, after which the extraction liquid, the specific weight of which differs by at least 5% from the specific weight of the liquid to be extracted in which the component to be extracted is to be found, is separated from the liquid by gravity in a phase separator in which process in order to obtain an efficiency per extraction stage of at least 0.9 at an average residence time of at most 15 seconds in the dispersion apparatus and of at most 300 seconds in the phase separator, at a linear velocity in the coalescer related to its cross-section of at least 30 m/hour: a. the dispersion apparatus used is a centrifugal pump which will give droplets having an average diameter of 5 to 500 μm, b. the coalescer used is a packed bed of 5-100 cm high composed of dimensionally stable particles wettable by the extraction liquid having an average particle size of 0.05 to 2 mmL and c. the coagulated phase in the phase separator is separated at a linear velocity related to the cross-section of the phase separator of 0.1 to 0.7 times the linear velocity in the coalescer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,694 to Hutholm et al. discloses a method for dispersing the two liquid phases of a solvent extraction process well together, for controlling the desired type of dispersion and for raising the created dispersion to a level essentially higher than the liquid surface in the mixing tank. In the apparatus of the invention, to the circulation cylinder of the mixer there is connected the heavy phase return conduit and the light phase return conduit entering from the settler of the same extraction step. In the top part of the mixer, coaxially with the turbine pump, there is installed the dispersion pump where the dispersion rises to above the liquid surface of the mixer through 2-24 rising pipes. The top ends of the rising pipes are connected to the circular pipe, wherefrom the dispersion flow is conducted to the next stage through the collecting trough.